For many, retirement is a milestone allowing them to finally relax and not worry about the stresses of work again. However, for Mike Soloski, that statement could not be further from the truth. At 61-years-old, Mike, a selfless go-getter, was a volunteer with The Ottawa Hospital when COVID-19 struck — a time when many volunteers were sent home as a safety precaution to limit exposure to this infectious disease. But Mike knew he needed to act. He decided to step out of retirement, and out of his volunteer role, and onto the frontlines of the pandemic as a COVID-19 screener.

Stepping out of retirement and onto the frontlines

Mike Soloski with his grandchild
Mike Soloski with his grandchild.

After retiring as a bank manager, this father and grandfather found himself wanting to volunteer outside of the fields of fundraising and finance. Having lost his wife to cancer in 2014, volunteering at the Cancer Centre at The Ottawa Hospital, where his wife had received such compassionate care during her illness, was a natural choice.

Volunteering gave Mike a sense of purpose and he enjoyed giving back to his community in a new way. In 2019, he welcomed another new adventure into his life when he remarried. Mike and his new wife, Leona, brought together their respective families, including their daughters and grandchildren, into a new blended family.

“I knew I was ready for something challenging and out of my comfort zone, and I couldn’t picture myself sitting at home and doing nothing.” – Mike Soloski.

Then, in early 2020, COVID-19 arrived in Ottawa. Volunteers were sent home from the hospital and Mike realized that he needed to help in some way. “I knew I was ready for something challenging and out of my comfort zone, and I couldn’t picture myself sitting at home and doing nothing,” said Mike. His hard work and dedication as a volunteer had been noticed and he was hired on as a COVID-19 screener. Suddenly being thrust to the frontlines of a global pandemic most certainly fit the bill of being out of his comfort zone.

His most important role

Practically speaking, Mike’s daily COVID-19 responsibilities are ensuring that patients, visitors, and staff are properly screened before entering the hospital. He has been promoted to a supervisor where he provides support to the screening team. Most importantly for Mike, he wants to create a welcoming environment and takes great pride in conveying a positive attitude when interacting with patients, visitors, and staff whom he knows are facing a stressful time.

Mike Soloski, screener at The Ottawa Hospital
Mike Soloski, COVID-19 screener.

“I find it really rewarding to provide people with a sense of comfort, especially if it means melting away a patient’s nervousness, tension, and apprehensiveness.” – Mike Soloski.

As one of the first masked faces they see when entering the hospital, Mike prioritizes building that rapport and comfort for people approaching the screening table. “I find it really rewarding to provide people with a sense of comfort, especially if it means melting away a patient’s nervousness, tension, and apprehensiveness.”

Words of wisdom

While this new role was an unexpected challenge for Mike, he knows he’s where he needs to be. “You sometimes get this weird sense of what retirement is supposed to be – for me it is just a different type of busy. This work is very rewarding,” said Mike. While he would never have guessed this is how he might re-enter the workforce, he is grateful that he has been able to accomplish what he set out to back in 2016 – to help in any way he could. Mike’s words of wisdom for anyone contemplating volunteering with The Ottawa Hospital? “Just jump in and do it.”


The Ottawa Hospital is a leading academic health, research, and learning hospital proudly affiliated with the University of Ottawa.